Maintaining a healthy diet is essential for good health. Individuals are encouraged to control calories, to avoid fats, to increase fiber intake, to take vitamins as supplements and to eat cruciferous vegetables and fruits for a balanced diet. Despite the substantial advertising of the advantages of certain foods, control of calories and the detrimental effects of ignoring the advice, the fact remains that a substantial portion of the population has an unbalanced diet and is susceptible to various diseases.
One of the most desirable aides for maintaining a healthy diet is a good tasting non-caloric snack. Advantageously, the snack would be in the form of a candy or bar having a low fat and sugar content and having incorporated therein certain beneficially substances (e.g. amino acids, proteins, protein fractions, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and pharmaceuticals) to promote improved health.
Recently, it has been suggested that certain amino acids, when used as supplements to a normal diet in relatively large doses, have salutary effects on cardiovascular health (Drexler et al., “Correction of endothelial dysfunction in coronary microcirculation of hypercholesterolaemic patients by L-arginine”, Lancet, Vol. 338, (Dec. 21/28, 1991)), pages 8782–8783); kidney health (Walser et al., “Can renal replacement be deferred by a supplemented very low protein diet?” J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., Vol. 10(1), (January 1999), pages 110–6); immune function and wound healing (Barbul et al., “Arginine enhances wound healing and lymphocyte immune responses in humans”, Surgery, Vol. 108(2),(August 1990), pages 331–6); weight control (Geliebter et al., “Oral L-histidine fails to reduce taste and smell acuity but induces anorexia and urinary zinc excretion”, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., Vol. 34(1), (January 1981), pages 119–20); muscle tone (Elam et al., “Effects of arginine and ornithine on strength, lean body mass and urinary hydroxyproline in adult males”, J. Sports Med. Phys. Fitness, Vol. 29(1), (March 1989), pages 52–6); and cholesterol level (Hurson et al., “Metabolic effects of arginine in a healthy elderly population”, J. Parenter. Enteral Nutr., Vol. 91 (3), (May–June 1995), pages 227–30; Braverman, E R and Pfeiffer, C C, The Healing Nutrients Within: Facts, Findings and New Research on Amino Acids. Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, Conn., 1987, pages 181–182). The doses are sufficiently large that one would need to take a large number of pills or a large volume of powder to achieve the desired therapeutic dosage level. Unfortunately, amino acids have an undesirable flavor and can readily react with a variety of other chemicals found in foods, particularly when combined at elevated temperatures.
Accordingly, there exists a need to develop food products containing nutritional supplements and/or pharmaceuticals in useful amounts, which food products are capable of being formulated into a bar or candy, are organoleptically acceptable and are useful in small quantities to provide the daily requirements of a desired supplement.